Global trends and development of energy services industry in China

Energy service is an effective way to promote energy conservation by market mechanisms, including energy saving services, energy procurement, supply of many varieties of energy, supply of renewable energy technologies, energy-related consulting services, risk management, etc. China is a major energy consumer but energy is in short supply, and the efficiency of energy use is low. China’s energy service industry has expanded rapidly, in terms of both the number of new Energy Service Companies entering the market and amount of capital invested in Energy Performance Contracting projects, but the energy service sector in China is still at an early stage of development. Developed countries began early in developing the energy service sector and their energy service market is mature, and the experience of developed countries shows that energy services play a significant role in advancing energy saving and emission reduction. Under the new situation, China needs combine energy services experience of developed countries, and take following measures to accelerate China’s energy services rapid and healthy development, including the long-term aspects of policy planning, energy-saving core technology, finance and capital investment, public sector reductions, personnel training, and so on.     

中美典型大城市突发事件应急管理模式的比较研究

我国经济的高速发展,我国城市突发公共安全事件也进入了一个相对高发期, 城市应急管理体系能有效地处理和预防城市突发公共事件,保障城市居民的人身安全和财产 安全.结合美国大城市的先进管理模式和经验,通过与我国大城市的应急管理模式在城市应 急管理体制的本质、应急管理的组织机构、应急管理运作机制、应急参与主体等几个方面的比较,...     

中美环境监测体制之比较

对中美环境监测体制进行对比性评述,指出了中国环境监测行业存在的分析标准滞后、体制不完善、人员匮乏等问题,提出借鉴美国经验,完善法律体系,引入市场机制,逐步培育竞争有序、监管到位的环境监测行业的建议。     

Inclusion of people with disabilities,their needs and participation,into disaster management: a comparative perspective

In the field of disaster management, not many have considered the role and needs of people with disabilities despite their number and condition. The purpose of this paper is to push for specific inclusion of people with disabilities, their needs and participation, into disaster management by studying relevant cases from Indonesia, Korea, and the USA. Qualitative content analysis was used as a major methodology by comparing three factors identified in these nations: government policies, schools and advocacy groups’ efforts, and families and local communities’ awareness. Three models, one from each country, were considered major takeaways from this study: the Indonesian moral inclusion, the Korean medical treatment without exclusion, and the US’ extending social inclusion. In addressing the needs and participation of people with disabilities in disaster management, the following recommendations are put forward: for Indonesia, a move away from olden beliefs and misconceptions on disability (e.g. as a punishment) is imperative. In Korea, relevant fundamental laws (e.g. the Basic Act on Emergency and Safety Management) need to be revised while also studying advanced laws on the subject. For the USA, though the country is already advanced, overall improvement is still needed in terms of association with international non-governmental organizations, increase in the number of (emergency or disaster) response officials, and provision of better medical treatment.     

美国瑞典日本农药环境管理综述

我国是个农业大国 ,农药的使用量大 ,使用品种多 ,农药对生态环境污染较为严重。长期以来 ,我国的农药环境管理极其薄弱 ,农药环境管理体系不完善。国外一些国家如美国、瑞典、日本等农药管理体制比较健全 ,在农药环境管理方面取得了一些成功经验 ,这对我国建立农药管理体系有很好的借鉴意义。     

国外环境政策评估体系研究——基于美国、欧盟的比较

为了进一步明确环境政策评估体系在识别环境政策实施绩效、评价环境政策社会经济影响、推进环境政策改革与创新中的作用,文章以美国、欧盟的环境政策评估体系为研究对象,建立了评估主体、评估对象、评估标准等要素的基本分析框架,分析总结了国外环境政策评估体系的基本构成要素及运行模式,在此基础上,结合我国环境保护现状与形势,对推进我国环境政策评估工作提出了几点思考。     

Variability in background levels of surface soil radionuclides in the vicinity of the US DOE waste isolation pilot plant

Concentrations of radionuclides were measured in soils from a grid of locations surrounding the US Department of Energy Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico and from a grid on a reference site approximately 20 km southeast of the WIPP site. Each of the two grids has 16 sampling locations (grid nodes) systematically distributed within an area of 16.580 ha. Sampling was conducted prior to the arrival of the first waste shipment at WIPP. Thus, the 137Cs and 23,240Pu in the soil are expected to have been deposited as global fallout, although the Gnome Site, 8.8 km southwest of the WIPP, is also a potential source of 239,240Pu and fission products. The reference grid has significantly higher concentrations of fallout and natural radionuclides than the WIPP grid. Up to 80% of the total variability in radionuclide concentrations across the two grids is attributable to differences between grid nodes. Differences between replicates within a location account for 44-50% of the variability in concentrations of the uranium isotopes, but only 11-17% of the variability in the concentrations of the other radionuclides. Samples having similar abundance of radionuclides were spatially aggregated across the terrain. The activity concentrations of the radionuclides were strongly correlated with the concentrations of Al and Pb, and with the percentages of sand, silt and clay in the soil. Normalizing radionuclide concentrations to the concentration of Al or percent fine particles can help adjust for differences in soil textures among samples and facilitate the detection of gradients or temporal changes in soil concentrations.     

美国油气开发钻井废物排放管理法规浅析

钻井是石油天然气勘探开发过程中的重要环节,钻井过程中污染物的排放管理也受到各国普遍的重视。对钻井污染物的特点进行了分析,在此基础上概括地介绍了美国的相关环境管理法规体系。重点论述了与钻井排污有关的资源保护与补偿法、安全饮用水法、清洁水法等,总结了可供我国借鉴的若干法规、标准制定的理念和方法。     

Cumulative impact assessment in environmental planning: A coastal wetland watershed example

Several theoretical, analytical, and institutional difficulties have impeded the development and application of the assessment of cumulative environmental impacts. Watershed development on coastal wetlands offers an ideal context for evaluating the land disturbance target approach to cumulative impact assessment. A model land use planning system involving a time series approach was developed for Elkhorn Slough in California. The approach included four major components: evaluation of erosion susceptibility, measurement of land disturbance, establishment of a land disturbance target, and a comparison of existing and target land disturbance values. Further research is needed to test the transferability of the approach in a wide range of coastal watersheds and to verify the applicability of the methods to other cumulative impact problems.     

From proposal to decision: Suggestions for tightening up the “NEPA process”

Although the process of documenting compliance with NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) requires no drastic revisions, it can be managed more rigorously. Suggestions for revision can be grouped under five major steps: 1) getting a complete proposal from the applicant; 2) getting the decision-making process onto the right decision-making path; 3) modifying the applicant's proposal 4) going down a shorter path through the EA/FONSI (environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact) or through categorical exclusion review; and 5) going down the longer path through the EIS. Step 2 is perhaps the most critical, because there a decision must be made whether to write an EA/FONSI or an EIS, on the basis of whether the proposal would “significantly affect … the … environment.” In the past, this decision has not always been made promptly or rigorously. Accordingly, we suggest that the agency responsible for NEPA compliance should develop a system (a “black box”), consisting of a core group of specialists working with an interdisciplinary team, using sophisticated techniques for modeling impacts and directing both their research and their writing according to the concept of significance. By determining more efficiently and reliably whether the impacts of a proposal would be significant, such an approach would improve management of the total process.